Self-checkout terminal

• US 8,577,729 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizaka, Hitoshi, Yamada, Yoshiya, Tsuchiya, Osamu, Kurihara, Norihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Thein, M.
• Application Number:
  US13/540,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 491 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/201 Price look-up processing, e.g. updating
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/208 Input by product or record sensing, e.g. weighing or scanner processing
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0045 with a code reader for reading of an identifying code of the article to be registered, e.g. barcode reader or radio-frequency identity [RFID] reader
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 1/0072 with means for detecting the weight of the article of which the code is read, for the verification of the registration weighing combined with recording means, e.g. in weighing scale, G01G19/415
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/003 Anti-theft control theft alarms G08B13/00
• CPC Class Codes: G07G 3/006 False operation

Abstract

An article code reading device optically reads a code symbol on an article, and decodes and outputs an article code. An image pickup image part picks up an image of an area of an article, the code symbol of which is read by the article code reading device, and outputs pickup image data. An article registration is executed by searching an article data file for a corresponding price for the article, and an extraction process extracts an exterior characteristic of an article from the pickup image data outputted by the pickup image part. A consistency is determined between a first data obtained based on the extraction process and a second data obtained based on an output from the article code reading device, and an alarm is generated when it there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data.

Claims

1. A checkout terminal, comprising:

an article code reading device configured to read a code symbol affixed to an article, decode an article code, and output the article code;

a pickup image part configured to pick up an image of an area where the article, the code symbol of which is read by the article code reading device, is positioned, and output a picked-up image data;

a first module configured to execute a search process and an article registration process, the search process searching an article data file, which stores a price corresponding to each article code, for a price of the article when the article code reading device reads the code symbol;

a second module configured to execute an extraction process to extract an exterior characteristic of the article from the picked-up image data outputted by the pickup image part;

a third module configured to determine a consistency between a first data based on the extracted exterior characteristic of the article and a second data based on the output from the article code reading device; and

a fourth module configured to stop a progress of the article registration process and a progress of the search process when the third module determines that there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data,

wherein the third module is configured to (i) obtain a number of articles whose exterior characteristics are extracted by the extraction process as the first data, (ii) obtain a number of article codes outputted by the article code reading device as the second data, and (iii) compare the number obtained as the first data and the number obtained as the second data to determine whether the first data and the second data are consistent with each other, and

wherein the number of articles obtained as the first data is obtained based on picked-up data outputted by the image pickup part within an established time of one transaction, the established time of one transaction corresponding to an amount of time sufficient for a plurality of the articles to pass through the article code reading device during one code symbol reading operation, and the number of article codes obtained as the second data is obtained based on the number of article codes outputted by the article code reading device within the established time.

2. The checkout terminal, according to claim 1, wherein the third module is configured to execute:

a process to obtain an exterior characteristic of an article extracted by the extraction process as the first data,

a process to obtain a corresponding characteristic data from an article characteristic database which stores an exterior characteristic of an article which correspond to the article code outputted by the article code reading device, and

a process to determine there is a consistency between the obtained first data and the obtained second data if there is a consistency between the two data, and to determine there is not a consistency between the obtained first data and the obtained second data if there is not a consistency between the two data.

3. The checkout terminal, according to claim 2, wherein the third module is configured to further execute:

a process to obtain the number of an article, an exterior characteristic of which is extracted, based on the exterior characteristic extracted by the extraction process as the first data,

a process to obtain the number of an article code outputted by the article code reading device as the second data, and

a process to determine there is a consistency between the number specified by the obtained first data and the number specified by the obtained second data if there is a consistency between the two pieces of data, and to determine there is not a consistency between the number specified by the obtained first data and the number specified by the obtained second data if there is not a consistency between the two pieces of data.

4. The checkout terminal, according to claim 3, wherein the third module is configured to further execute:

a process to obtain an extraction of an exterior characteristic of an article by the extraction process as the first data;

a process to obtain an output of the article code by the article code reading device as the second data; and

a process to determine there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if the second data is obtained synchronously with the first data, and to determine there is not a consistency if the second data is not obtained synchronously with the first data.

5. The checkout terminal, according to claim 4, wherein it is determined there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if a gap between a characteristic value included in the first data and a characteristic value included in the second data is smaller than an established data, and for determining there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data if the gap is bigger than the established data.

6. The checkout terminal, according to claim 3, wherein it is determined there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if a gap between a characteristic value included in the first data and a characteristic value included in the second data is smaller than an established data, and for determining there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data if the gap is bigger than the established data.

7. The checkout terminal, according to claim 2, wherein the third module is configured to further execute:

a process to obtain an extraction of an exterior characteristic of an article by the extraction process as the first data;

a process to obtain an output of the article code by the article code reading device as the second data; and

a process to determine there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if the second data is obtained synchronously with the first data, and to determining there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data if the second data is not obtained synchronously with the first data.

8. The checkout terminal, according to claim 7, wherein it is determined there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if a gap between a characteristic value included in the first data and a characteristic value included in the second data is smaller than an established data, and for determining there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data if the gap is bigger than the established data.

9. The checkout terminal, according to claim 2, wherein it is determined there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if a gap between a characteristic value included in the first data and a characteristic value included in the second data is smaller than an established value, and it is determined there is not a consistency if the gap is bigger than the established value.

10. The checkout terminal, according to claim 1, wherein the third module is configured to further execute:

a process to obtain an extraction of an exterior characteristic of an article by the extraction process as the first data;

a process to obtain an output of the article code by the article code reading device as the second data; and

a process to determine there is a consistency between the first data and the second data if the second data is obtained synchronously with the first data, and to determine there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data if the second data is not obtained synchronously with the first data.

11. The checkout terminal, according to claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface configured to enable an input, a display of various information, and a settlement process; and

a fifth module configured to execute the settlement process for an article for which the article registration is executed, in response to a completion declaration of one transaction input with the user interface, wherein

the fourth module is further configured to stop a progress of the settlement process when it is determined that there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data.

12. The checkout terminal, according to claim 1, further comprising:

a scale device configured to provide a placing part for placing an article after the code symbol is read, to provide a weight of the article placed on the placing part, and to transmit the weighed weight value to the checkout terminal, wherein;

the article data file includes a stored weight which corresponds to each article code,

a weight check process is executed, the weight check process being for searching the article data file for a corresponding weight, obtaining a weight of an article placed on the placing part based on a weight value received from the scale device and determining a consistency between the stored weight and the weight of the article placed on the placing part, when a code symbol is read by the article code reading device,

the article registration process is executed only when a consistency between the searched weight and the weight of an article placed on the placing part is determined as a result of the weight check process, and

the fourth module is further configured to stop a progress of the weight check process when it is determined that there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data.

13. The checkout terminal, according to claim 12, further comprising:

a user interface configured to enable an input, a display of various information, and a settlement process; and

a fifth module configured to execute the settlement process for an article for which the article registration is executed, in response to a completion declaration of one transaction input with the user interface, wherein

the fourth module is further configured to stop a progress of the settlement process when it is determined that there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data.

14. The checkout terminal, according to claim 1, further comprising:

an alarming device configured to generate an alarm; and

a sixth module configured to allow the alarming device to generate an alarm when it is determined that there is not a consistency between the first data and the second data.